A day before Thanksgiving, the Obama Administration has decided to once again delay the launch of the online small-business health care exchange, known as SHOP, pushing the deadline back a full year to November 2014.

More than two million people in Texas have at some point been diagnosed with asthma. And for some of them, inhalers and medications aren’t enough to stay out of the hospital. In 2010, the FDA approved the first non-medical treatment for severe asthma that involves inserting a heated metal device into the lung to make breathing easier. About 1,000 people across the country – and dozens in Dallas – have had the procedure. Now it’s time to review.

The Texas Department of Insurance decided Friday to postpone the closure of the high-risk health insurance pool, according to the Texas Tribune. That pool serves 23,000 Texans who have trouble finding health insurance due to pre-existing health conditions, like cancer or diabetes.

The pool was scheduled to shut down on Jan. 1, since everyone — including people with pre-existing conditions — was supposed to be able to buy insurance on the federal marketplace. Due to the difficulties with enrollment online, Texas Insurance Commissioner Julia Rathgeber said it will stay open until March 31st.

KERA News profiled one North Texas family that successfully made the switch from the high-risk pool in October to the marketplace — they’re saving more than $2,000 each month.

Recently released guidelines on who should take statin drugs to lower cholesterol call for basing decisions more on risk factors than the actual cholesterol number. Amid controversy over the recommendations, a look at what statins are and how they work. Sam Baker spoke with Dr. Roberto Wayhs (WISE), a cardiologist with Methodist Charlton Medical Center, in this edition of KERA’s Vital Signs.

Once you’ve learned how much health insurance purchased on the Affordable Care Act’s insurance marketplace will cost, the next natural question might be whether you qualify for assistance, or a subsidy. And if so, how much?

North Texans got to ask an official from the National Security Agency questions about privacy last night. In part, thanks to Edward Snowden. Since the former NSA contractor began leaking classified documents showing the agency’s vast reach, officials have been trying to make their case to the public. Tuesday night the director of compliance at NSA, John DeLong visited SMU.

After a rigorous workout, a glass of chocolate milk is exactly what the doctor ordered. This week another researcher, Dr. Theodore Shybut of orthopedic surgery at Baylor in Houston, has endorsed the drink, telling gym rats to put down the fancy recovery drinks.

So who’s on healthcare.gov? Turns out it’s not just people searching for health care. The site is also attracting hackers — a Department of Homeland Security official told lawmakers there’s been “a handful” of attempts so far. National cyber security expert Fred Chang, who’s now a professor at SMU in Dallas, has been called to examine concerns about lack of privacy of users of the website.

Healthtechnology start ups are taking off in North Texas. Entrepreneurs from across the country are coming here to take advantage of the capitol, creativity and connections between the worlds of medicine and tech.